Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 4).djvu/118

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

outline to the back of the skull-piece that proclaims it to be late in the first half of the XVIth century. This head-piece is noteworthy as displaying that hollowed ridge round the bottom of the helmet which has erroneously been supposed to constitute the difference between the burgonet and other close XVIth century helmets. This hollow round the base of the helmet fitted closely on a salient rim round the top of the gorget of the suit. When the helmet was placed on the gorget rim and closed, it could not be wrenched off, while it still moved round freely in a horizontal direction. The gorget being stiffly articulated allowed for such a very slight raising and lowering of the head so that to look really up or down must have been extremely difficult. Hence, this means of attaching the helmet possessed disadvantages.

Fig. 1167. Helmet

German, about 1520. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg

Fig. 1166. Helmet

German (Nuremberg), about 1520. National Bavarian Museum, Munich

Fig. 1168. Helmet

German, about 1540. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg

<tb>